Chapter Twelve: The Farce in the Military Camp

Wei Ji was completely dumbfounded.

Immediately his face darkened with anger as he scolded, “Young Marshal! You are no longer the heir to the West Conquest Prince’s Mansion!”

“Since you are now part of the Longwu Army, you should know that the Northern Frontier Army and our West Conquest Prince’s Mansion operate under two entirely separate systems. The troops of the West Conquest Prince’s Mansion will never follow you to the Northern Frontier Army!”

Given that they belonged to two different commands, Lin Qian logically had no reason to take the troops of the Prince’s Mansion with him.

But unfortunately, Lin Qian only sneered coldly.

Then he pulled out a shining object from his bosom—a lacquered black tube.

The instant the dark lacquer tube appeared, Wei Ji instinctively shuddered.

Even the dullest soldier knew that this lacquered tube was no ordinary container; it was a standardized vessel used to transmit secret military orders and imperial edicts.

“An imperial decree!” Lin Qian holding the edict gazed deeply at Wei Ji.

“Lin Qian, Deputy Commander of the Longwu Army, is authorized to select three thousand elite soldiers from the West Conquest Prince’s main camp. Disobedience will be punished under military law!”

“So what if you are the commanding general of the central army? Does the West Conquest Prince’s Mansion not recognize this imperial order?”

These words instantly drenched Wei Ji in cold sweat.

He had never even dreamed that Lin Qian would not only return but come back with such grandiosity, carrying the emperor’s edict.

How could he dare to refuse?

Without hesitation, he dropped to one knee. “I, Wei Ji, commanding general of the central army under the West Conquest Prince, obey the imperial decree!”

Li Yuanying chuckled at this and hurried forward to snatch the shining armor, ordering his personal guards to help him don the gear piece by piece.

He then knelt before Lin Qian and saluted, “Young Marshal, Li Yuanying obeys your command!”

Lin Qian shook his head. “I’m no longer a young marshal. I have no ties to the West Conquest Prince’s Mansion. From now on, follow me and call me General.”

Soon, the thirteen sets of armor were assigned to their wearers.

These were all seasoned elite soldiers and generals who had once stood beside Lin Qian in the central army.

Since Wei Ji’s arrival, these former “thorn in the side and eyesore” had been scattered across different camps, like jewels buried in dust, unseen by the light of day.

“Ying Zhao!” Lin Qian regarded Ying Zhao, a former captain of a thousand men from the West Conquest Prince’s Mansion, now clad in shining armor.

“Selecting the three thousand elite troops is your task. You have one hour to pick those you consider the finest!”

At this, Ying Zhao immediately perked up.

Even if Wei Ji wanted to stop it now, he had no grounds to do so.

At present, he was the only fourth-rank commanding general in the entire camp.

Neither the old prince nor anyone else from the mansion was around.

“Hurry and report to the old prince! Fast, you must move quickly!”

Three thousand elite soldiers—neither too many nor too few.

After all, those who had fought alongside Lin Qian in bloody battles were no ordinary men.

If Lin Qian took this fresh fighting force away, even with the imperial edict, Wei Ji wouldn’t know how to explain himself.

Lin Qian casually pulled a grandmaster’s chair to the center of the training ground and sat leisurely, sipping tea and eating the fruit before him.

Li Yuanying, a towering giant, grinned as he served at his side.

The other eleven commanding officers gathered around Lin Qian, “Young Marshal, you don’t know how much we’ve suffered since you left. The brothers have been eagerly waiting for your return!”

“Oh? Is that so?” Lin Qian observed the eleven men without a change in expression.

“Yes! Fighting alongside you on the battlefield was a real morale boost. The battles since you left have been pathetic—boring, utterly meaningless!”

Though he was now stationed at the Imperial Stables, the northern border had grown increasingly volatile over the past three years.

Because the Northern Wu territory was vast, stretching across the entire northern frontier of Great Qian, and faced extreme weather conditions.

Ordinary armies rarely campaigned in the winter, but Northern Wu was an exception.

They had long adapted to crawling over ice and sleeping in snow, even using ice and snow to build fortresses.

They had been a constant source of trouble for Great Qian.

“The brothers have wanted to leave for a long time. If it weren’t for their attachment to the merits they’ve earned, perhaps we would have left long ago…”

Listening to his comrades’ complaints stirred something in Lin Qian’s heart.

It was as if he had returned to the days when they fought together on the battlefield—when banners filled the sky and Lin Qian was the undefeated general, feeling as mighty as a tiger swallowing mountains and rivers. Who in this world could stand against him then?

Just then, from afar came the clamor at the camp gate, accompanied by a fierce roar.

Sun Feng charged into the gate on horseback!

“Let’s see who dares to move today! Who’s trying to take the West Conquest Prince’s troops?”

Behind him followed eight hundred and ten personal guards of the Prince’s Mansion.

Lin Qian quietly glanced over these guards—these were the trusted bodyguards personally selected by the late Prince Sun Ye.

Every face was familiar.

The moment Sun Feng burst through the gate, Wei Ji’s eyes lit up.

“Your Highness!”

Close behind him was the mansion’s old steward, Sun Ying.

“The old prince has ordered to hold position for now—wait for his arrival!”

Sun Ying shouted urgently, knowing well that Sun Feng’s shouting was useless here.

The military was ruthless and valued ability above all.

Sun Feng had no merit or rank; not only did the officers and commanders of the camp disdain him, even the soldiers looked down on him, so none would obey his orders.

“Lin Qian!”

With the old prince Sun Ye absent and not in the Prince’s Mansion, Sun Feng finally dropped his pretense.

“Why are you taking away three thousand soldiers? What did you do at the palace?”

Going to the palace was what Sun Feng cared about most.

Lin Qian remained seated in the grandmaster’s chair, unflinching, just watching as Sun Feng rushed forward, anxious to question him.

Setting down his teacup and smacking his lips, Lin Qian didn’t even spare Sun Feng a glance.

“Aren’t you supposed to marry the Princess of Anping and inherit the West Conquest Prince’s title to become the next West Conquest Prince?”

Sun Feng’s heart sank at these words.

He swallowed hard and awaited Lin Qian’s answer, looking as pleading as a dog wagging its tail begging for mercy.

“I don’t oppose it. Marry her if you want, become the West Conquest Prince if you can.”

Sun Feng’s heart leapt with joy. “So the emperor agrees?”

Lin Qian shook his head slightly. “I don’t know if the emperor agrees, but the old prince certainly won’t.”

“What did you say? Father would never refuse!”

“I am his only son. I am his bloodline. I am the sole heir to the West Conquest Prince’s Mansion!”